Total Drama Forever
by Avriel Knight
Summary: Includes all characters in all seasons. As the outside world is ravaged by an unknown disease that changes all who get infected, the teens on their new island, Camp Kirigaiu, are abandoned by Chris and Chef with no way off. As the disease closes in on the island, the campers need to find a cure fast, or risk being destroyed by some of their corrupted friends.
1. Hotel Paradise

"Do you think Chris has been acting a bit weird lately?" Heather commented to Alejandro. She was watching the narcissistic television host whisper in hushed voices to Chef, a worried look on his face.

"Perhaps he's just trying to cover up another lawsuit. Heavens knows he was stupido enough to bring Courtney back on the show." the Spaniard said back, yawning. They lounged by the pool of Hotel Paradise, located at the new island.

Unlike Wawanaqua, Camp Kirigaiu truly earned the name paradise. The Hotel could easily accommodate the different contestants from four seasons. Though the contestants from the original Total Drama, Revenge of the Island, the Ridonculous Race, and Pahkitew Island were still wary with each other, they had started getting along. Not only that, but the Hotel had everything they could possibly need. Workout gyms for more of the...buff contestants, a fully stocked kitchen, medical bay, and plenty of rooms that haven't been explored. The only downside were their rooms. There weren't quite enough, since so much space was used for entertainment, so most of the contestants had to double up. This wasn't exactly a problem for Heather, Courtney, Scarlett, Sugar, or Scott. Nobody argued about who got the best rooms because nobody wanted to bunk with them anyway.

"Yeah, probably. But it's so strange. It seems like, he actually cares about us. Not to mention he hasn't blown up the Hotel or made us do some lame challenge in a week."

"Why worry Heather? All those wrinkles are ruining your face. Just enjoy what we have before greedy little Chris snatches it right out of our hands." Heather tried to give Alejandro her best bitch face, but the Spaniard was doing a great job of ignoring her. Sighing, she gave up and dipped into the water.

+B.W.C+

"This place is the best buddy!" Owen laughed. Currently, he was raiding the seemingly endless fridge for anything that wouldn't be missed. Which by his definition, was pretty much everything.

"Great." Noah said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Maybe while you're at it you can eat the entire fridge in my room. It's not like I'm a human that needs nourishment to."

"Really? You mean it!?" Owen said happily, to which Noah rolled his eyes again.

Noah's girlfriend Emma gently put a hand on his shoulder, calming the bookworm from tossing another snarky remark. "Let's just leave him be for a while. At least he's not trying to hug you, right?" Noah smiled a little, suddenly grateful that he could breathe, and not suffer through one of Owen's bone crushing hugs.

"Where's Kitty? You two are normally joined at the hip."

"She's off taking pictures of the new island. You know her, she's not exactly good at sitting still."

"Well, it's not like Chris is giving us anything else to do. Just gives me more time to read I suppose."

"Actually...I was thinking we could take this time to meet some new people." Noah gave Emma a confused look and shut his book, setting it down on the granite countertop.

"Why would I want to do that? I have you, Owen, Kitty, and Cody. That's already four more friends I had than when I joined Total Drama."

"Yeah, but some of these other people look really nice. I think we should give them a chance. Plus, not to be mean, but the main reason you got kicked off the original seasons was because you're sarcastic and had no friends."

"You couldn't have sugarcoated that?"

"No sugar for the truth Noah." the bookworm rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically.

"Well, I guess if there's really nothing else to do..." Emma cried out happily and hugged Noah, pulling him to his feet. She then dragged her boyfriend through the Hotel to meet some new people.

+B.W.C+

"I don't know Cam. Something just makes me think something bad is going to happen." Mike hugged his knees to his chest in the garage (who knew a hotel on an abandoned island had a built in garage), teetering on the edge of a metal chair.

His best friend looked back, watching as Mike toyed with the hem of his shirt. He didn't look too worried, but then again, Mike did have a habit of keeping things to himself. He waited for a second, but Mike didn't elaborate. The dark-skinned boy shrugged, figuring he would open up when he was ready.

The steady pounding from B's hammer as he worked on some new project was rather soothing. The banging was actually slightly calming. More calming at least, than the explosions coming from the next room over. Ever since Mike's girlfriend Jaden met Izzy, they became fast friends and dangerous threats. There's nothing scarier than putting a psychopath in the same room with a teenager with split-personality. Especially if they both like fireworks.

Loud laughter floated from the room with a loud boom that shook the garage and sent shrapnel flying through the air. B raised up a sheet of metal and blocked it with ease. "Would you guys mind keeping it down? I'm afraid the building is going to come down on top of us." Cameron began to panic.

"Sorry Cam." Jaden poked her head out sheepishly. "Chemistry is just so fascinating. Wanna join us? We could always use another creative mind."

"No thanks," Cam turned her down, "I'd prefer not to die today."

"Suit yourself." she shrugged, disappearing. Cam turned his head back to Mike, who was mumbling something under his breath.  
"Do you think it's going to be weird having Zoey here?" he tried to change the subject. Mike looked up. Well, it wasn't the best question to ask, but at least he wasn't talking to himself anymore. That was something Mal usually did, and they really didn't need him coming out.

"I guess. I...I mean, she was pretty heartbroken when I left her, but she didn't want to deal with Mal. I haven't seen her since the end of All-Stars." (Pretend the reset button didn't happen.) "I really do want to be friends, I just don't know what to say."

"Maybe that's what you're feeling bad about." Cam offered, pulling his eyes back to B's work. Mike shrugged.

"Maybe..." he mumbled. But no matter how hard he thought about it or tried to ignore it, the pit in his stomach just wouldn't go away.


	2. Abandoned

"So who exactly do you want to meet first?" Noah asked Emma. So far they'd been all over the Hotel, but it was safe to say Emma was almost as bad with people as Noah was. They were either too loud (Katie and Sadie) or too annoying (Ella and Justin), or just too weird (Homeschool).

"Ok, this is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I already know who I don't want to be friends with, but the problem is finding someone I actually like." a loud bang sounded from the Hotel entrance, startling the pair. A shrill, angry voice carried down the hall.

"How dare you take my PDA! I'm going to find whoever stole it and tear them a new one! You'll be hearing from my lawyers so fast you won't even have time to lose the show before I kick you off!" Courtney screamed, looking for the poor soul that stole her internet.

"We gotta go. Like, now." Noah warned Emma. "Of all the people that could be pissed off, Courtney makes them look like kittens."

"Where are we supposed to go?" Emma panicked.

"Anywhere but here!"

"I'm going to kill the next person I see!" Courtney yelled as Noah pulled Emma into a side door. Her shouting faded slightly as they descended the concrete steps into a spacious room filled with tools, cars, and half-finished projects.

"Where are we?" Emma questioned. She took in the messy interior of the room and began to follow the sound to tinkering a little ways away.

"It looks like the garage. Although I don't know why Chris needs one on the island. Probably just to mess with us." Noah rolled his eyes again.

"Watch it!" A voice called from behind them. The couple ducked just in time to avoid being stabbed by a flying object, only to have it crash into the wall behind them and explode into a display of blue and orange sparks.

"What. The heck?" Noah breathed heavily.

"Sorry about that." the girl said. "Nobody else normally comes down here. I thought we were alone."

"We?" Emma questioned.

"Yeah, me, Mike, Cameron, B, and Izzy, Shawn, and new girl. My name is Jaden." Jaden swept some blond hair out of her face, readjusting the red beanie atop her head. A couple flakes of ash adorned her shirt, but she lazily brushed them away.

"Oh great, Izzy." Noah smacked the palm of his hand into his forehead.

"Izzy?"

"She's not bad, I think she might actually be my friend, but she's...well..."

"Oh my gosh Noah! You finally found this place! Izzy was waiting so long for you to show up." the redhead tackled the bookworm in a fierce hug that could rival Owen's. "And you must be Emma! He talks about you like, all the time."

"You talk about me?" Noah shrugged.

"Sometimes, but not to her."

"Well, yeah. Izzy read your diary. It was just kinda sitting there, and Izzy wanted to test out her new night vision goggles."

"Wait, you what? Never mind. I don't even wanna know." Noah changed his mind. "Actually..." he glanced at his lawyer bound girlfriend. "Emma wanted to meet some new people. Can you show us who else is down here?"

"Oh totally! This is like, the best place in the whole island anyway. So many interesting things to explore."

Noah and Emma followed as Izzy and Jaden led them through the garage, chatting about the various chemical explosions could topple the hotel. Needless to say, the experience was terrifying.

"Here we are." Jaden announced, leading them into the garage's main room.

"This was a bad idea." Noah declared as soon as he stepped into the room. Some weirdo was impersonating an old man and shaking his fist at a bigger dark skinned mechanic, who was shaking his head and shrugging helplessly. A smaller boy with large glasses was rocking back and forth in the corner mumbling something that sounded like "Make it go away". A girl was humming happily in the corner while she used a grindstone (what kind of garage has a grindstone?) listening to some scrawny kid blather on happily about zombies.

"I think they look interesting. Besides, we managed to insult or annoy everyone else, so we should give them a chance." Emma said, giving Noah her best puppy dog eyes. He rolled his eyes. That either meant he didn't care or he was fine with it. Emma was going with the latter. "Alright, introduce us Izzy." Emma smiled.

"Yay! Izzy loves new people. Until they leave. But that won't happen. Everyone!" she yelled into a megaphone she snatched off a nearby table. "Noah and Emma are here!"

The commotion stopped, and everyone turned to stare at the new kids. The boy in the blue shirt took a large gulp of air and stood back up. He was the first to greet them. "I'm Mike." He introduced himself. "That's B," he pointed to the larger teen who tipped his baseball cap, "Cameron", the boy with glasses waved, "Shawn", the zombie boy looked up and dashed out of the room quickly. "Sorry, he's not good with new people. And that's Avriel. She's new to the show." he pointed at the girl on the grindstone. She held up her project, a sharp sword, and glanced at them once before going back to working. "She's pretty quiet."

"Well," Noah said, "If there's nobody else I guess we can try and befriend these weirdoes."

+B.W.C+

Shawn paused to catch his breath after he ran almost the entire length of the hotel. True he was shy, but Izzy startled him more than anything. To his knowledge, using a megaphone usually meant zombies were coming, but they wouldn't get him. "Where am I anyway?" he asked himself.

A loud whirring noise hit his ears, and he glanced around the building to the helicopter pad Chris had installed for flying in new interns. Chris and Chef were arguing over the roar of the blades, and Shawn had to strain to hear them.  
"Can't...leave. What about...kids? Alone...island!" Chef yelled over the noise. Chris called back, but his voice was even harder to hear than Chef's.

"Doesn't matter! Disease...safe...Kirigaiu! Cure...mine! ...GO!" Chef threw up his hands at Chris's shouting and they both climbed into the helicopter. It lifted up off the ground and was soon lost in the clouds. Shawn stood there in shock, trying to process what he just heard. As soon as it clicked, he ran back to the garage faster than the time he thought zombies invaded his bedroom.

"Guys! Guys!" he called out, panicked. His friends looked up from what they were doing, confusion written on their faces. "I just...Chris...helizombie...wooo!" he made several motions in the air and began wheezing.

"Calm down Shawn!" Mike put a hand on his shoulder. "What happened?"

"I think...I think Chris just left the island for good!"


	3. The PDA

**A/N:**

 **supertrip: Thanks for following this story and making it your favorite, as well as following and making me your favorite! Everything is appreciated, and will keep me updating this story. :D**

 **Lord NV: Definitely, a lot of bad things will happen in this story, but some good things will happen to. It's hard to show more than fifty characters frequently, but so far the parings are Mike x Jaden, Shawn x Jasmine, Carrie x Devin, Sam x Dakoda, Noah x Emma, and Izzy x Owen. I'm planning on adding more, but I need to build up the plot first. Thanks for reviewing!**

 **+Back to the story+**

"Wait, just calm down Shawn. What do you mean Chris left the island for good?" Mike tried to calm the paranoid zombie Pahkitew contestant.

"I mean he left the island for good! He took Chef and a helicopter and jetted like nobody's business!" Shawn began hyperventilating again, and B calmly passed him a paper bag, patting him on the back. "Maybe. He already. Knows. The zombies. Are coming!" he puffed into the bag, talking with each breath.

"Zombies? Is he serious?" Emma folded her arms. "There's no such thing as zombies."

"Shawn's a little..." Izzy made circles next to her ear with her finger. "Just like all of us, haha!"

"What makes you think Chris left for good? He's probably off to get more interns. God knows what they get themselves into." Noah commented, glancing up from his book.

"If Chris wasn't leaving the island for good, would he take Chef with him?"

"You do remember Chris left him without a parachute in the beginning of your season right?" Noah countered.  
"But what about the hair gel? There was a crap ton of it in the back of the helicopter."

"Chris is narcissistic."

"Well how about this. When Chris left the island," Shawn's eyes narrowed, "he took all his Jimmy's." a gasp echoed throughout the room.

"Whoa." Jaden breathed. "Sounds like it's starting to get serious."

"If he was leaving the island for good he would never leave those behind!" Cameron started to panic. "Why would he just leave us like that? "He's not coming back is he?" Cameron started to take deep breaths.

"Uh...here." Shawn passed the season four winner the bag. "It looks like you need this more than I do." While Cameron sat in the corner trying to calm down, the others tried to figure out what to do. Even Noah closed his book and paid the utmost attention.

"What if we try to contact the producers of the show? Maybe they know why Chris left." Jaden offered. Mike thought for a moment then shook his head.

"But how? The entire time we've been here I haven't seen a single computer or cell phone. It's like the entire island is blocked from the outside world."

"I have a solution, but none of you are gonna like it." Emma jumped in. Everyone looked at her with expectant gazes.

"In order to call the producers we need a phone. But everything was taken away except..."

"Don't tell me..." Noah deadpanned, shaking slightly. "Ugh. I did not sigh up for this."

"Who?" Jaden said, exasperated. "Just tell us already!"

"I think her name is Courtney." Emma finished.

"You've gotta be kidding me." Mike smacked his forehead. "She was a nightmare in All-Stars. Now you're saying we have to use her PDA!?"

"Maybe she's in a good mood." Shawn said hopefully. Cameron shook his head.

"From what I've observed about her, that's not likely. Besides, while you were gone Noah said the main reason they came down here was because someone stole Courtney's PDA and she looked ready to kill."

"Wow, this is quite the predicament. What should we do silent B?" Izzy asked the mechanic, looking more happy than she probably shouldv'e been. B shrugged and went back to banging his device. Clearly he didn't think this was his problem. "Oh my gosh, you're so right!" Izzy agreed.

"Izzy, he didn't actually say anything." Emma said, crossing her arms at the redhead.

"Of course he did. B says if we want to borrow Courtney's PDA, we first have to find it. And one of us has to befriend her."

"I'm pretty sure B didn't say all that." Cameron pointed out.

"By that logic, it means someone Courtney doesn't know has to talk to her." Noah pointed out. "That also means it can't be me, Mike, Izzy, or Cameron. Because let's face it, she hates us."

"No way am I talking to her!" Shawn refused. "A girl like that is always one of the first to grt turned into a zombie. I'm not waiting until she gnaws my arm off!"

"You, B and new girl are probably too weird for her anyway. That leaves Jaden." Noah concluded.

"I don't think..." Mike started, but Jaden put a hand on his shoulder to quiet him.

"I'm a little better at controlling Dia now. Besides, Avriel is the only other option, and she's a little..." the pair glanced over at the new girl who was now testing out her new sword by stabbing bales of straw and threatening them with time in 'the rack'.

"You're probably right. Just...be careful." Mike warned her.

"Will do." She smiled brightly and made her way to the Hotel's main floor, leaving her friends to conspire against Chris.

+A.K.+

Jaden was fairly new to Total Drama. Her only friends were the ones in the garage. And because of her "condition", and anger management problens, she didn't even have friends back in America. Coming to Camp Kirigaiu was one of the few chances she had to meet people that didn't think she was a dork. She spotted the brunette in one of the entertaining rooms interrorgating a few of the original camp

"You could've taken it. You're so desperate to blog that you stole my PDA and used it to update crap about Cody!" she hissed at Sierra.

"Why would I want to do that?" Sierra said, obviously pissed. "Sure I love blogging, but I have my Codykins here with me. You're just mean." the purple haired blogger huffed and stormed out of the room, probably to search for the person of her obsessions. Jaden took a deep breath. _'This is it.'_ she thought.

"Hey, what are you looking for?" Jaden asked the C.I.T, who in turn crossed her arms and gave a glare that could turn Medusa to stone.

"My PDA. I don't suppose you know anything about that do you?" she narrowed her eyes dangerously. Jaden shook her head quickly.

"Not a thing. But...maybe I could help you look for it?" she offered.

"Huh?" Courtney asked in surprise. "You're actually the first person that's offered. I would ask Gwen the boyfriend stealer, but I still haven't forgotten all the pain she put me through in All-Stars. We may be friends, but she's on thin ice."

"Yeah, I watched that season. I always thought she was too nice for her own good. Especially after she dumped garbage on you." though Jaden knew the entire incident was an accident, it was better to get on Courtney's good side right now, especially after she saw the CIT judo flip Harold over her shoulder.

"Right!? Nobody else would even listen to me." she smiled a little, warming up. "What's your name anyway?"

"Jaden."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Courtney. Now let's find my PDA before I tear this building apart." the CIT crossed her arms and motioned for her to follow. Jaden smiled at her nervously. _'This is going to be harder than I thought.'_


	4. Spanish and the Mean Girl

**Hi everyone, welcome to chapter 4! Please read and review. If you can, take the poll on my profile depicting who you want to get infected.**

 **Back to the story:**

"You know if Courtney sees you with that she'll probably sue you." Alejandro warned Heather. The original contestant rolled her eyes and continued typing on the keyboard.

"Whatever. She says that every time I see her and it still hasn't happened yet. Besides, it's not like she needs it as much as I do. You saw Chris leave right?" Alejandro nodded. "Obviously he's not coming back, or else he would've made some stupid pun about leaving us alone to kill each other."

"You think something big is happening on the mainland." Heather nodded, swiping through several different sites, still not finding the one she was looking for.

"It's gotta be big if even loudmouth Chris isn't saying anything. And since he was stupid enough to take away modern technology, I had to improvise."

"You might want to search fast, Courtney seems to have run out of weaker players to torture." Heather slipped the PDA into her back pocket as Courtney rounded the corner, followed by one of the new contestants. Heather glared at her. She was blond, but didn't look as stupid as Lindsey. Courtney obviously couldn't tell, but this girl was trying hard to get her to like her. Her fists kept clenching and unclenching at her sides, itching for a fight, or to get away from the annoying CIT. Either way, Heather liked this girl already.

The mean girl of the Total Drama world folded her arms across her chest and smirked. This was going to be fun.

+A.K.+

"Uh hey, Mike?" said boy looked up as Sam poked his head into the garage. "You might wanna come up here. All of you actually. Something big is going down near the pool and people are making one of those giant circles. I think there's gonna be a fight."

"Why would I want to watch a fight? Especially since Vito would want to participate." Mike asked as the others began to listen.

"Well, it's between Courtney and Heather and some girl with a red beanie. Sounds like it's getting pretty serious. There was yelling and lots of glaring." Sam responded. Mike's face paled.

"Guess we gotta get up." Noah said and put down his book once again.

+A.K.+

"I know you have it!" Courtney screamed at Heather, shaking her fist. "I saw you put it in your back pocket!" she tried to reach for it, but Heather moved away.

"Ugh, you're so weird. Why can't you just moon over Duncan and the fact that you can't have him?" Courtney screamed again and launched herself at Heather, just as Mike and the others walked up. There wasn't a single player in Hotel Paradise that hadn't heard the commotion. They were all gathered around the pool, anxiously waiting to see who would come out on top.

"Jaden!" Mike called out, then covered his mouth. Jaden had been trying to sneak the PDA from Heather's back pocket, but Mike's yell alerted them both. The device went flying from Jaden's hand and clattered to the tile, where Courtney dove for it.

"I take it back." Heather glared at Jaden, who held up her hands in defense. "I don't like you at all." she gave her a shove in the direction of the pool. Jaden's eyes widened, and she struggled for something to hold onto, but there was nothing. She splashed into the deep end of the pool, immediately writhing about and gasping for air, but only succeeding in blowing out bubbles.

"Jaden!" Mike called, ready to dive in, but surprisingly, Alejandro beat him to it. The Spaniard dove in, fully clothed, and pulled out the limp body.

"Make some room." he called out, laying her on the ground. He plugged her nose and began to preform CPR, much to Mike's dismay. After a minute, Jaden coughed up a lungful of water and opened her eyes.

"Are you ok seniorita?" Alejandro asked, gazing down at her.

"Who are you?" she asked, still a little out of it.

"I'm Alejandro, I pulled you from the pool." suddenly remembering what happened, Jaden shot to her feet in embarrassment, taking in the surprised faces around her.

"She can't swim?" Gwen whispered to the person next to her. Being a bit of a scardey cat himself, DJ shot Jaden a sympathetic look.

"Ha! She's afraid of water!" Sugar snickered. Jaden looked around, more than twenty faces looking back. Even Heather and Courtney stopped for the moment. She had so much attention even Noah put down his book to see if she was alright.

"Don't look at me!" Jaden yelled, pushing through Devin and Carrie and dashing back into the hotel.

"Jaden wait!" Mike yelled, running after his girlfriend.

Everyone turned to Heather. "That was mean even for you." Gwen commented, glaring.

"Hey, how was I supposed to know she was afraid of water? Great. Now I feel terrible." Heather crossed her arms and gave the pool tile a murderous look.

"That is to be expected. You are after all, a terrible person." snickered Alejandro, still dripping wet from jumping into the pool.

Heather growled and clenched her fists. "Shut up Jalapeño." she sneered. "Besides, what was with all that diving in and saving her like a prince? Ugh." she pretended to gag. "So gross, and so unlike your manipulative self." Alejandro rolled his eyes, clearly not amused at being called a Mexican vegetable.

"You'll see."

"Um, guys, not to break up this amusing moment, but we have bigger problems." Courtney held up her PDA bookmarked on a news video from earlier that morning. "Take a look at this." everyone held their breath as the video began to play.

+A.K.+

"She didn't know you were afraid of water." Mike was trying to calm Jaden down. He sat next to her on the couch and scooted closer, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"Everyone was staring at me. I can't believe after all this time I still can't do anything about it." she sighed, tears threatening to spill.

"Maybe if you take some time to calm down..." Mike tried, but that was the wrong thing to say. Fire sparked in Jaden's eyes and she stood up, grabbing a fistful of Mike's shirt.

"I can be angry if I damn well want!" she yelled, her face contorting into one of pure rage. "Why didn't you jump in after Jaden, huh Mike? Why did Alejandro of all people do it?"

"D...Dia." Mike protested weakly, staring at Jaden's other half, her split-personality. Dia sneered down at him.

"You know, Jaden could stand to find someone less off the rocker than you." Mike took a giant gulp of air and flattened his hair over one eye.

"I could say the same about Mike." Mal smiled, not at all afraid of getting punched. If anything, the evil glint in his eye got brighter.

"Malevolence." Dia snarled.

"Diabolical." Mal greeted her back. Dia raised the malevolent one closer to her and clenched her fists at her sides, ready to raise them.

"I hate to cut in, but I haven't seen you in forever, and this is the greeting I get?" A voice sounded from behind them. Dia released Mal and turned.

"You!?"

 **A/N**

 **Just a side note, Jaden and Alejandro are not going to become a couple. He saved her for a different reason. Just wanted to clear that up for anyone that thinks I'll ship her with everyone in the show. Four words. Ew, no, and gross.**


	5. Rising Leadership

"I can't believe you're actually here!" Jaden squealed as Dia receded and she dropped Mike. She ran to hug the shorter girl in a tight embrace. The other girl smiled brightly and returned the hug quickly.

"This is Mike, my boyfriend." Jaden introduced them. Sensing the moment was about to get gross and mushy, Mal took a deep breath and let Mike back out, grumbling something about ruining a perfectly good fight.

"It's very nice to meet you Mike. I've heard a lot about you." the girl shook his hand.

"This is embarrassing..." Mike started "I don't actually know who you are." she laughed, a quiet, soothing sound, and gave Jaden a playful look.

"I'm not surprised honestly. My name is Ahris (Ah-ree-s). I'm Jaden's younger sister." she gave them a smile, speaking both sophisticated, and holding herself high. The exact opposite of how Jaden could be at times.

"What? Oh my gosh, it's great to meet you! I wonder why she never said anything..." he looked over at his girlfriend, who shrugged sheepishly.

"We can save the pleasantries for later. I suggest we return to the outside. The commotion seems to be starting back up again." Ahris suggested, setting her bags on the ground. Of course, she knew her sister was terrified of water, and she heard the entire exchange between Mal and Dia. Honestly, Jaden could have a hard time getting to know people, so it was comforting to have her find someone who could match her personality.

"...as long as we stay in the back. Ahris, are you coming?" Jaden called to her little sister, who instantly snapped out of her thoughts.

"Of course." she followed them back out to the pool, where an enraged Heather, Courtney, and Jasmine were arguing and making dramatic gestures at the PDA.

"Hey Cam, what's going on?" Mike asked his best friend, the three of them settling near the hotel doors in case Heather decided to toss the pool chairs.

"You won't believe it, Canada has been torn apart!" the bubble boy was wide-eyed, watching the two divas fight.

"Wait, what?" Mike said, clearly surprised. Heather and Courtney's arguing grew louder.

"If you don't believe me, just watch the video again. It's not fake. Nothing short of the apocalypse would get Chris to leave the island." Courtney snipped, glaring daggers at the queen bee.

"It's the zombie apocalypse? I knew it! I'm going back to the garage where it safe and reinforced!" Shawn declared, running back to his hideout.

Heather growled, and restarted the video on the PDA, everyone gluing their eyes to the tiny screen.

 _"I'm Bud Hills, and this is the morning news in Ontario, Canada. The time is 10:05 in the morning, and our first story is...wait...what?" the newscaster listened for a moment in his earphone, then began speaking in a rushed voice. "This just in, those who passed away from the Z.R.P. disease have just woken up. It seems they've begun attacking people near the hospitals where they died. People are urged to evacuate as soon as possible and..." the sound cut out as the camera fell to its side and the screen cracked. The newscaster looked like he was making shooing motions with his arms until a black shadow tackled him behind the desk. Another black shadow glanced into the camera and gave the watchers a smile that send chills down their spines._

 _"You're next!" they said happily, then the camera went dark._

"See? See!" Heather exclaimed after a moment of silence. "After that it's like the internet in Canada just shut down. Nothing has been tweeted, posted, updated, or edited since this morning."

"Is it really a zombie apocalypse?" Sammy said worriedly, looking to Jasmine for support.

"Shut up!" Amy shoved her twin sister. "It's obviously not the apocalypse, just some kids looking for attention, because nobody likes them. Like you!" she finished. The moment the sisters began squabbling fighting broke out amongst the other contestants about who was right and what actually happened.

"Why am surrounded by idiots?" Noah complained from the pool chair he sat on. Emma lightly tapped him on the shoulder.

"Have you seen Kitty? She's been gone all day. What if something bad happened!?" Noah stood up and hugged his girlfriend, instantly trying to ease her worry.

"Remember the race? Kitty is strong. She's not going to go down easily, even on Chris's crazy island."

"Enough!" Heather screamed. The bickering halted, everyone staring at Heather with wide eyes. "That's better. Now, we don't know where Chris went, and frankly, I don't care. But if we're going to decide what to do next, we need a leader."

"And you think you're the one for the job?" Jasmine narrowed her eyes, towering her tall body over the smaller girl.

"Of course. I made it to the end of Total Drama several times, and I was brought back for All-Stars. Everyone knows not to mess with me."

"This isn't a game Heather! It's real life. Who knows what kind of wily creatures could be heading to the island right now!?"

"Oh, and I suppose you could do a better job?" Heather shot back into the tall Australian's face.

"Maybe I can." Jasmine challenged.

"Fine. I'm going to actually save all out butts. Anyone that doesn't want to get eaten by a crocodile or stepped on by Jasmine's huge feet should come with me. Unless you think you can survive with zombie boy and a giant who isn't even in her own country!" Heather's voice rose at the last word, causing Sadie and Katie to flinch. They unfortunately, were the closest to the diva, and got pushed apart as Heather stalked back into the hotel. "If anyone needs me, I'll be on the top floor." she finished.

Ten seconds passed. Thirty seconds. One minute. Slowly, people started trailing after Heather, piling into the elevators to follow her up. Jasmine waited until the pool deck was cleared out and sighed to herself. Heather might be mean, but she had one thing all the other weaker players wanted; protection.

+A.K.+

"Not all of us like Heather you know, nor do we desire her protection enough to actually be around her." Noah said as Jasmine entered the garage without looking up from his book. The know-it-all had quietly left when Jasmine and Heather started arguing, pulling a distraught Emma with him back down to the garage. If his predictions were correct, this is where Jasmine would go to look for Shawn, and the same place the other contestants would go, given they hated Heather enough.

"Why...how are all of you here?" Jasmine gasped in awe.

"Like I said, you're not the only one who hates Heather." Noah replied. He jabbed his thumb into the next room, where Jasmine stuck her head in. She was greeted with a wonderful sight.

Cody was trailing after Gwen, with Sierra hissing at the Goth like a cat from the corner of the room. Dawn hung upside down from the ceiling meditation, and Izzy took turns swiping at her hanging blond hair. Mike and Jaden were talking to a girl adjusting the strings on a violin, while Avriel showed off her sword to B. Shawn sat in a chair next to Emma while Ella sang, Sugar covering her ears. Jasmine felt herself tearing up as she looked at her friends. Cameron, Sam, Dakota, Sky, DJ, Eva, Ellody, Sanders, Bridgett, Geoff, Zoey, Brody, MacArthur, and even Justin for some odd reason were there.

"Hey Jasmine! We should be safe from the zombies down here!" Shawn called to her. "We need to find Kitty, first, then we can get to work zombie proofing this place." Jasmine smiled at her boyfriend, taken in my his enthusiasm.

"Well, if nobody has any bright ideas, I suppose I'll think something up." Noah said, a small smile finally touching his face.

Mike gathered everyone into the middle of the room. "Ok everyone, we need to find Kitty. Let's get to work!" A great cheer rose up, and the search was on.

 **A/N**

 **So, I'm going to start summarizing what happens after each five chapters, so people won't have to reread. I don't particularly care for Zoey, but she is going to appear. I can say for certain you'll be seeing more of Lightning, and the first angst moment of the fic will happen in the next chapter.**


	6. Finding Kitty

**A/N**

 **Thanks to Eternal Nexus Warrior for making this story your favorite!**

 **Previously on Total Drama Forever: Our campers were sent to Camp Kirigaiu supposedly for season 8, only to have Chris and Chef fly out (literally), leaving them without internet or a way to leave the island. Noah made some new friends (however reluctantly), and Jaden, Ahris, and Avriel were introduced. After learning that Courtney snuck in her PDA, everyone tried to use it as a connection to the outside world. Heather was revealed to have stolen it, and after pushing Jaden into a pool and revealing her fear of water, Alejandro jumped in to save her. A news video on the PDA revealed something apocalyptic happening on mainland Canada, dividing the players when Heather and Jasmine tried to take the leadership role. Jasmine's group is currently searching for Emma's missing sister, Kitty.**  
 **Back to the story:**

"Kitty needs to be found as soon as possible, since she's the only one that doesn't know what's going on." Jasmine stated. "It's getting dark, so I'll pair you up for safety."

"Oh oh! Izzy wants to go with Noah! He'll know where Kitty is because he's Noah-it-all!" Izzy cackled and swiped the book out of Noah's hands. Unfortunately, it landed near whatever B was making, and sparks from the welding tool landed on the poor pages, bursting it into flames.

"Well, there goes my entertainment for the next four hours." Noah complained, crossing his arms.

"Fine Izzy." Jasmine sighed. She may have been a strong leader and competitor in Pahkitew Island, but this wasn't a game anymore. Most of the people in the room with her (no matter how sweet they may be), weren't very strong and got scared easily. She was afraid if she messed up, her friends would leave for Heather. Heather was strong, smart, crafty, and good at barking orders, but she was also mean. She was terrible to most of the people in that room. The Pahkitew Island and Ridonculous Race contestants were lucky they didn't have to deal with her for as long as they did.

"I'm going with Gwen." Jaden announced, ignoring Mike next to her. Apparently she was still salty about getting saved by an evil Spaniard instead of her multiple personality boyfriend. Mike sighed sadly. It wasn't a huge deal, but they could talk about it when Kitty was safe. Gwen shrugged. They hadn't talked very much, but there wasn't a reason not to go with her.

"That settles it them." Jasmine announced. "Izzy and Noah will search together, and Jaden and Gwen. Does anyone else care who they're with?" everyone shook their heads, ready to get up and look. "In that case," Jasmine continued, "Sky will go with DJ, Ellody with Ahris, Ella and Avriel, Mike and Cameron, B can go with Dawn, Cody and Sierra..."

At that, the cool wannabe let out a sigh while Sierra squealed and hugged her obsession tightly. "As I was saying, Sam and Dakoda can go together, Sanders and Macarthur, Brody and Geoff, and Eva with Bridgett. Does anyone have any problems with that?" Cody raised his hand.  
"Actually I-"

"Great!" Sierra cut him off. "Let's go Codykins!" she sang, dragging him from the garage.

"Zoey, Justin, Emma, Sugar, Shawn and I will stay here if she comes back, and try to talk some sense into Heather." Jasmine proclaimed.

"Good luck Noah." Emma said, kissing him gently on the cheek.

"Don't worry." he reassured her. "We'll find your sister."

+A.K.+

"So what brought you to this supposed new season of Total Drama? Until Chris took off like a loser at least." Gwen finished with a chuckle. She and Jaden had left the Hotel and wandered into the woods around the island. Neither of them were afraid of the dark, so the limited sunlight didn't make much of an impact.

"That's a weird question." Jaden responded. "I didn't come just for Mike, if that's what you're thinking." Gwen quickly shook her head.

"No, definitely not. That would be a bad move for anyone involved in Total Drama. You saw how far that got me and Courtney." she rolled her eyes and smiled a little. "With all that drama between me and Trent and Duncan...then Duncan and Courtney and Scott, we could've run the show ourselves."

"Yeah, she's still mad about the garbage thing." Jaden said quietly.

"I tried to make it up to her." Gwen protested. "I was labeled a villain, even though I tried my best. And the heroes had Mal on their team. Mal! What's heroic about him?" Gwen caught Jaden giving her an odd stare, and she quickly backtracked. "No offense. I'm still a little disappointed." Jaden nodded.

Unfortunately, it didn't look like Kitty had been in the woods. They couldn't find a trace of her anywhere, even trying several times to call out her name.

"So, I hear you are looking for someone. May I be of assistance?" an accented voice asked. Both the girls whirled around, and Gwen smacked her forehead in frustration.

"You've gotta be kidding me." she said sarcastically.

+A.K.+

"I'm glad the island's not mechanical this time." Ella commented as her and Avriel walked through the tall grass. They didn't know each other well, but Ella didn't really have any friends, and try as she might with Sugar, the so called 'pageant queen' still hated her. When the sword bearing English girl shrugged, Ella sighed in defeat. They continued on in silence, occasionally turning to make sure the other was there.

After ten minutes, a small blue bird fluttered out of the grass and landed in Ella's hair. The Disney princess smiled happily and let it hop onto her finger. Without meaning to, she opened her mouth and began to sing.

 _"Hush little birdie don't you fly, Ella will sing you a lullaby. And if my lullaby won't help, I will follow you to the ends of Earth. And if the ends of Earth won't mend, Ella's gonna try and find some friends. And if those friends won't shed a tear, Ella's afraid she'll disappear."_ she quickly snapped her mouth shut, noticing finally that the bird flew off while she was singing, and her and Avriel hadn't moved for a minute or two.

"Oh! I'm terribly sorry for my depressing singing." she covered her mouth. Avriel looked at her for a moment or two, then nodded softly.

"I thought it was beautiful." Ella just stared at her. "A girl trying to walk to the ends of the Earth to find friends because she wants to belong...it's almost like a fairy tale isn't it?" she turned to face the still stunned girl. "Wouldn't that make you a real princess?"

Ella sucked in a breath and counted to ten, afraid the tears building up in her eyes would spill over onto her face. "I suppose it does." she agreed weakly. She felt a weird feeling in her stomach, and wondering briefly if this girl actually wanted to be friends with her. She didn't have to bring herself down to make her happy, like she did with Sugar.

Avriel smiled back soothingly. "And doesn't every princess need a knight?" Ella nodded at the medieval nutjob. Sure she was a bit strange, but then again...wasn't everyone on Total Drama? In happier silence, they began walking again.

"What's that?" Ella asked, the sun reflecting off something shiny in the grass. She walked over to pick it up, turning over a cell phone in her hands. A growl sounded off from the left in the grass.

"Get out of the way!" Avriel yelled, pushing Ella to the ground and drawing her sword. A shadow leapt from the grass and took a swipe at Avriel, glancing off her sword. The Englishwoman retaliated, slashing back. It seemed to pass harmlessly through the figure. Using skill wielded by an expert fencer, Avriel changed her stance and stopped the blade mid-swing, striking it in the opposite direction. The shadow didn't expect this, and howled in pain when the blade made contact. It took another lunge, this time catching her in the shoulder, leaving blood pouring from a deep gash.

"Augh!" Avriel cried, sinking down next to Ella. The shadow hissed and bounded off in the opposite direction to tend to its wounds.

"Avriel!" Ella cried, shaking her her friend insistently. She heard moaning coming from the other side of the grass, and she brushed it away to reveal Kitty, several scratches covering her body, clothing dirty and torn. She was awake, but barely.

Finally using her powerful voice in the smartest thing she's ever done, Ella screamed at the top of her lungs.

+A.K.+

Noah's head whipped around from where he was listening to Izzy, and stared to the tall grass by the beach. "What was that? It sounded like a scream." he began to panic.

"What if someone's hurt? We need to vroom vroom so Izzy can stab the guilt right out of the offender!" she casually picked up Noah by his stomach and slung him over her back, taking off at a surprisingly fast speed. They were at the three figures in less than five minutes. Izzy flung Noah to the ground, and bent down to a bawling Ella, who was trying to stop both Avriel and Kitty's bleeding.

"Oh my god, that looks really bad. We need to take them both to the medical bay." Noah said hurriedly, trying to pick one of them up. Although, he does have twig arms. And he failed miserably. He almost thought he was going to be sick, but this was not the time to lose it.

"Izzy can run one back like the Flash, but there's no room for two magical unicorns in Wonderland."

"If that's Izzy code for you can only carry one, take Kitty, she needs the most attention." Noah directed. Izzy nodded and lifted the Asian princess style, sprinting back in the direction of the hotel.

Noah tried both picking Avriel up again and getting Ella's attention, but failed at both endeavors.

"Need a hand?" a smug voice said from behind the bookworm. Noah turned to see a very pissed off Gwen, a confused Jaden, and a smirking Alejandro.

"Eels." Noah hissed at the Spaniard still not forgiving him for World Tour.

"Call me what you will, but we both know all four of you won't make it in time without injuring her worse. I do have a nice side." Noah gave him a nasty glare, but after looking between Avriel and Ella, he stepped aside to let Alejandro scoop her up in his arms and follow Izzy.

"Come on" Gwen stated. "Let's help Ella and find our way back."

+A.K.+

Izzy burst into the hotel and shouted, "We need a healer!" at the top of her lungs. Several members of both sides of divided campers ran down into the lobby, including Heather, Courtney, Jasmine, and Emma herself.

At the sight of her sister lying bloody in Izzy's arms, Emma sank to her knees and let out a bloodcurdling scream.

"Kitty!"

 **A/N**

 **This was almost twice as long as most of my normal chapters. I really wanted to showcase Gwen's insecurities, and start the friendship between Avriel and Ella, the princess and her knight. Jaden's reasoning for being on the island remains a mystery, and Alejandr** **o has saved people twice now, what exactly do you think he's up to? Please review, comment, and favorite!  
**


	7. Angst and Security Cameras

**A/N**

 **Lord NV: Thanks for reviewing again, you're the reason I keep writing! I'm glad you liked it. I'm happy you think this story needs more attention. If there's anyone who likes Total Drama, send them to read this please. I guess you can request a paring, as long as it's a character I can actually portray correctly. Although I can't guarantee they'll show up a lot, since I already have seven main characters.**

 **Did anyone catch Ella's song in the last chapter? It's a parody of "Hush Little Baby". You'll be seeing more popular Ella-centric songs soon~**

 **+Back to the Story+**

Everything was deathly quiet. The medical bay was filled with the gloom of injuries and worry, heavy with anticipation. It had been exactly three days since Izzy and Alejandro hauled Avriel and Kitty back to the hotel, and Jasmine carried them both up to the medical bay. Only she, Shawn, and Beth actually knew where that place was. With Emma's help, Jasmine set Kitty up on a breathing machine, and tended to her wounds. Once the blood was actually cleared, the damage didn't look any better. Kitty had fallen into a coma from blood loss and shock, and that's where she stayed ever since.

Emma rarely left her side, and spoke to no one except Noah, who came by to bring food or set a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Avriel wasn't faring much better. That gash left deep in her shoulder would scar eventually. She had bandages all down her left arm, and when she woke, it was only for a few minutes before she passed out again.

Needless to say, it left the campers more divided than ever. With Ella and Emma's mood, some of the campers even left to join Heather. Friends grew distant, and the interaction between the two sides of the Total Drama contestants were slim to none.

Ella couldn't stand to be in there. She believed the entire thing was her fault; she was the reason that her one and only friend was lying unconscious. She moved through the hotel like a ghost, never staying in the same room for more than a few minutes unless to sleep. She hadn't said a word since that day, and it was beginning to worry everyone, even Sugar.

Ahris, Jaden, and Mike had just watched Ella enter the kitchen, look around, then leave for the third time in that hour. "We need to do something. She's driving me crazy." Jaden said, putting her head in her hands.

"Maybe she just needs to wait until Avriel wakes up." Mike suggested. His girlfriend crossed her arms and gave him a sour look, one that said 'you know what you did'.

"It's been four days and you've hardly talked to me." Mike protested. "I don't know what happened! He just jumped in. Please can we put this behind us? You don't need to prove to me how long you can hold a grudge."

"I believe I am needed elsewhere." Ahris stated, rising from her seat and following Ella. Perhaps she could show the princess she wasn't alone is this mess.

"I'm not really mad anymore." Jaden sighed. "Well, I am. But not at you. Just for letting that happen. I thought I was safe when I didn't have to do the fear factor challenge like in the first season, but it happened anyways."

"Everyone has something they're afraid of. Even Mal, though I know he'd like to deny it."

"Thanks Mike." Jaden said softly, leaning over in her chair to rest her head on Mike's shoulder. They couldn't have been there for more than a minute when Zoey walked in rather loudly, startling the couple apart.

"Hey Mike, Shawn and Noah want you to take a look at something in the garage. They say it's urgent." she said, ignoring Jaden, and walking out with a flip of her hair. Mike sighed.

"I guess we better go, or Noah's gonna flip out."

+A.K.+

Emma sighed. She knew she didn't look good. She knew anyone who entered the medical bay thought she should be lying next to her sister. But she couldn't bring herself to do anything. The dark circles under her eyes just reminded her of how long she'd been up. Kitty wasn't getting any better. Her skin took on a grayish tint, and it seemed with every passing day her breath was getting more shallow.

The heart monitor was beeping steadily, as if counting down. Every chime Emma thought might be the last.

5...

4...

3...

2...

1...

+A.K.+

1...

2...

3...

4...

5...

"Hello, it's me. I was wondering if after all this time that we could meet, to go over, everything. They say that time's supposed to heal you, but I ain't done much healing. Hello, can you hear me? I'm in California dreaming about who we used to be, when we were younger and free. I've forgotten how it felt before the world fell at our feet." Ella sang softly to herself in the library, one of the few abandoned rooms in the hotel (because seriously, this hotel has everything). It was her fault Avriel, her only friend, was in the medical bay. 'What ifs' ran through her head.

What if she had been stronger? What if she hadn't picked up the phone in the grass? What if she could do something other than singing? ' _But I can't. I'm not strong enough.'_ she thought bitterly. All she could ever do was sing how she felt. After all, people say words can change a nation.

"There's such a difference, between us, and a million miles." so flawlessly integrated Ella almost didn't notice, a violin began playing the song in the background, a haunting melody that fit so well, it would've been a crime for the princess not to join in. "So hello from the other side." she sang, the violin following her tune. She weaved through the bookcases, trying to find the one responsible for the other half of her duet. "I must've called a thousand times." was it just her, or was the violinist trying to play marco polo with music?

"To tell you I'm sorry, for everything that I've done, but when I call you never, seem to be home." the violin followed her melody, and Ella stepped out into the center of the library, meeting with a calm face, light blue eyes, and a head full of blond waves. She gave Ella a small smile, still playing. "Hello from the outside, at least I can say that I've tried, to tell you I'm sorry, for breaking your heart, but it don't matter it clearly doesn't tear you apart anymore." she finished, wavering slightly on the last note. Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered Avriel unconscious in bed.

Wailing, Ella let her feelings out that she'd been holding for three days, and sank to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. The girl quietly set down her violin and enveloped the crying princess in an embrace, letting Ella soak her jacket with tears. On the other side of the hotel, another camper was slowly breaking down.

+A.K.+

Emma was still. She let the sound drill into her ears; a piercing, taunting sound that filled her with dread and froze the blood in her veins. Just a second ago, it was moving. Now it wasn't. And it was a sound that would haunt her for the rest of her life.

The heart monitor flat lined.

+A.K.+

"What exactly are we looking at?" Jaden crossed her arms, staring at the security camera footage. B quietly fiddled with the controls to make the screen clearer and shrugged, as if to say 'nobody tells me anything'.

"It's the zombie that attacked Kitty and Avi!" Shawn yelled, peeling himself off the wall.

"Avi?" Noah raised an eyebrow.

"Avriel's name is long. And nicknames are cool." Shawn defended.

"What the heck?" Mike cried, startled by both Shawn and his outburst. "There really are zombies?" he began hyperventilating from the stress, and took a big gulp of air, hunching over. "You darn end of the world enthusiasts!" Chester barked. "Back in my day the dead stayed in the ground where they belonged."

"It's not a zombie." Noah stated, rewinding the film.

They watched as a dark shadow crept through the trees, unaware it was being watched. It was human shaped, with dirt all over its body and ripped clothing, gray-skinned, eyes glowing. It lacked the slow shuffle that zombies would normally adopt, and checked its surroundings often, like a normal human. It caught a glimpse of the camera and lunged for it, cutting the screen to static.

"What the heck is that thing?" Jaden asked, wide-eyed. Chester ignored her and occupied himself by pressing various buttons on the security console.

"We're not entirely sure, but it's smart." Jasmine stated, towering over the others. "It's been going around the island, smashing Chris's security. It doesn't want anyone to know it's here." Noah opened his mouth to comment, but was interrupted.

"Dudes, we got a major problem upstairs. Noah, your girl is screaming and crying like nobody's business. We managed to wrestle her out of the medical bay and shut the door, but she's already beaten up three campers. We need you to calm her down." Geoff said with a worried look. Noah instantly followed the party boy up to the third floor, fearing the worst.

+A.K.+

"Let me go!" Emma yelled, bringing her arm around and smacking Eva in the face. Luckily, the iron woman was more than capable of holding her own.

"Hurry up!" she growled at Noah. "I may be tough, but even I'm not sure how long I can hold her."

Noah stepped gingerly over the fallen and bruised forms of Tyler, Devin and Ryan, and put a hand on Emma's shoulder, not letting go even when he got a fist to the face. "Emma, tell me what happened." he said calmly. The makeup was running down Emma's face as she cried and stuttered something that sounded like 'Kitty', 'heart monitor', and 'flat lined'.

Noah let her go and flung open the door to the medical bay. What they saw made everyone stop cold.

Or rather, what they didn't see.

The heart monitor was flat lining. Kitty was gone.

 **A/N**

 **What's going to happen? Where is Kitty, again? This entire chapter was about angst. I wanted to show that Ella isn't happy all the time. And what was that thing in the security cameras? Please review, favorite, and follow!**


	8. The Beginng of an End

**I can't believe I've been on haitus for an entire year! I'm so sorry! I started college, and everything got crazy from there. Thanks to .1 for alerting me to this story and giving me the motivation to start it up again. It's been so long I almost forgot what I was writing about. I've got tons more ideas this time around. My motivation comes from people who support what I do, so if you like it, comment, favorite, and follow!**

 **For those of you interested, I've published my own original book! It's not as good as this story, since I needed to make the characters myself, but it's up on Amazon for anyone interested. It's called "Crown of the Badlands".**

 **Without further ago, let's finally get started on chapter 8!**

 **+Back to the story+**

Emma is inconsolable. Slowly breaking down, she's been eating less and less as the days passed. She would spend entire days out searing for her missing sister, always coming back empty handed. Aside from Noah, she hasn't spoken to anyone. Today marks the fifth day since Kitty's disappearance. After Emma vanished, once again leaving her breakfast untouched, Noah decided he had enough.

"That's it. Are we just going to keep letting her wander off like this? That thing killing the cameras is still out there. What if it gets her?"

"Mate..." Jasmine starts. "None of us like it any better than you do, but we're stuck between a rock and a hard place. Heather's group has taken over the security room, and we're left with nothing but a garage. Unless we know what's out there, we're sitting ducks."

Noah begins to pace around the room,the frown lines on his face growing even tighter. "You may be willing to leave her out there alone, but I'm not! You're all pathetic. What happened to the contestants who kicked me out for not having enough team spirit?" he sneers. Izzy looks down at the floor. Even those not from the original seasons know what he's talking about.

"I'll go with you. A knight for a noble quest." Avriel speaks up from the back of the room. This entire time she had been twirling the hilt of her sword, the blade stuck into the ground. She had woken up a day after Kitty's disappearance, seemingly fit. Unfortunately, everyone could tell that her sword arm wasn't what it once was. A tender scar covers the shoulder.

"You shouldn't do that, you're still..." Ella draws back after attempting to touch her friend's shoulder. Avi hadn't made a move, but the regret in the princess's eyes is evident.

"I'll take whatever help I can get. Whatever's going on out there, I couldn't exactly afford to go alone."

Standing, Avriel tightens the armor covering her other arm and switches hands with the blade. She's made up her mind. "I'll go too." Ella says, her voice quivering. She knows exactly what she's not.

Not brave. Not smart. Not sneaky. Not a leader. But she does have a friend now, and mother always told her when she finally has a friend, never let them go. They'll become your lifeline.

"Any protests? Good. Let's go." Noah nods to the pair, and they disappear out the door, leaving the others stunned.

"You know...he's got a point." Mike is twirling around a fedora he picked up in one of the costume rooms. He could feel Manitoba itching to go with them. The others glance at him, waiting for continuation. "I mean, we've been stuck here for nearly a week without leaving. I'm no expert, but whatever's out there is only going to get worse. Shouldn't we at least make an effort rather than wait around?"

"Knowledge is power." agrees Cameron.

Shawn, who has been in the process of digging a whole underground, thought his method of duck and cover was working perfectly fine. Though, it is the cowards way out.

"So what should we do?" Jaden asked. Her question is met with human silence, and a somber tune from the violin. By this point, sad music had become the norm. Ahris was always playing it to calm herself down. In a way, it also signaled the wrong choices that had been made, just waiting and doing nothing. A lot can happen in a week, and now four of their friends are out there pushing themselves against the unknown.

Jasmine knows she's the leader. She gathers herself up to her full height and begins barking out orders, determined to wipe the hollow looks off her friend's faces.

"Gwen, Jaden, Mike! You three will visit Heather and see if she or Courtney has come up with anything. Ahris, you and Shawn will be in charge of checking the cameras around the hotel. We need to know if they're still working..."

Mike stands and taps the hat in his hands. Glancing toward the goth and his girlfriend he says "Well, at least we're not sitting around anymore."

+A.K.+

Heather's domain has taken over more than half the hotel. It could be considered a disease, the way her words ring in the ears of the former contestants. Mike, Jaden, and Gwen pass several familiar faces, all of whom are scurrying back and forth carrying bits of machinery. Too late to call, the girls slam into Katie and Sadie, tumbling to the ground. The twins shriek when their spare parts scavenged from the toaster scatter along the floor.

Gwen scoffs. "What's all this?" she questions, picking up the coils and turning them around in her hand. It's quickly snatched away by the shorter of the two and hidden away.

"Like we need to tell you!" says thing 1.

"Heather likes her business private!" echos thing 2. They run off, leaving behind a very confused trio.

"That was weird right? It's not just me?"

"Definitely weird." Gwen agrees with Jaden. "I've never seen them act so hostile. They were always a couple of the friendlier ones."

The hotel is beginning to take the shape of a fortress of war. Sheets of metal are nailed to the open windows, and heating rods coiled around the doorknobs. It looked like the ending of Home Alone, and they got the distinct feeling that Heather wanted to keep something out, rather than them in.

They reached the end of the hall, pausing at the large metal security door separating them from answers. After Heather had taken the room over, it was never left without any guards. "Does this seem too easy to you?" Mike asks.

"Duh!" hisses Gwen. "Nothing with Heather is ever easy. Who knows what could be on the other side."

Jaden straightens up. Her and Mike had already made up, despite Mal's protests. She laced her fingers into his, squeezing the hand tight. "It could be something, or nothing. We won't know until we look."

Regretting this decision already, Gwen pushes open the door. The security room is dark, quiet, and all seems to be well. Of course, it can't be though. Not when Heather turns around in the chair, grinning like an evil mastermind.

"Oh my god!" she says in a voice like poison laced honey. "I was hoping you two would show up."

Gwen glares at the queen bee. "Um hello, there's three of us. Did you just overlook me?"

Heather snaps her fingers. Three pairs of strong arms latch around the trio, holding them up. "Not you two, I meant the...unhinged ones with the dark ideas." on cue, Justin flies across the room and slams into one of the computers, crumpling to the floor. Geoff drops as well, a single tear squeaking out of his eye as he holds his lower regions.

"Now it's getting interesting." Alejandro's smooth voice whispers in Gwen's ear. Ugh, so that's the idiot these arms belong to. She fought the urge to throw up. The Spaniard is much stronger than she originally thought. He won't allow even a wiggle of elbow room.

Mike's flattened hair and Jaden's sour look give everything away. Neither Mal nor Dia like to feel restrained. If anything, that random burst of violence only made them hungry for more.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't tie you to that chair and push you out the window." Mal threatens. To prove his point, a fire hydrant sails through the air, smashing into one of the computer screens and raining glass down on Justin.

"Tsk tsk. Better listen up." Heather has the gall to file her nails at a time like this. "I know something you'll want to hear..."

+A.K.+

 _Note to self,_ Noah thinks sourly, _never underestimate a good book and comfy chair ever again._ Nature? Not his thing. Not that having a wannabee knight didn't make him feel safe, but it wasn't reassuring knowing she only had one good arm, and two useless friends to protect. For once though, he didn't mind the lighthearted tune floating from the princess. Almost took the creepy out of the woods.

Almost.

Though his cynical reputation says he's supposed to be uncaring and indifferent, Noah can't help but worry for Emma. Unfortunately, there are much bigger problems to be thinking about.

Avi slashes her sword to one side, cutting a large shadow in half. With her arm incapacitated, the blade sinks into the tree, and Ella rushes to her aid. Several other shadows appear from the trees, partially hidden by the darkness. They glide effortlessly around the trees, formless blobs rushing to the nearest breathing mammal.

Tugging the blade free, Jaden swings the sword again, catching another. Even with her somewhat expert fencing, there are too many to hit at once, especially with the scarring beginning to tear and bleed. They're backed up against the trees, Ella swatting the best she can with a branch, and Noah wondering if shadows can run nearly as fast as he can.

Suddenly, a blinding flash of light floods through the forest, piercing through the transparent bodies. They screech an earsplitting cry, like nails on a chalkboard, and melt back into the night. Down drops Emma from a branch, holding nothing but a light bulb and some wires.

Noah runs to embrace her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I can't believe we actually found you."

"Not a moment too soon!" Ella pipes in with a quiver in her voice. Though she did notice that Emma didn't return the hug. Her eyes look empty and dull as a response slowly drips from her mouth. She looks like Emma, she sounds like Emma...but...there's a gray tinge around her skin that makes Ella stand protectively behind the knight.

Emma narrows her eyes at the pair, and smiles in a way almost doll-like, that doesn't quite meet her eyes.

 **+Author's Note+**

 **To the guest comment that thought it would be ok to trash on my writing; I get it. You have an opinion of your own. It's ok if you don't like my story. However, that's all it is; a story. For you to say that I'm completely horrible for putting an OC in here, pairing her with Mike, using characters from seasons that aren't popular, and people don't deserve to review because I've only written one story, is low and petty. I made this for people to enjoy if they want, or ignore if they don't. It does no good to trash something I've worked hard on just because you don't like it. I'd be happy to listen to any future comments if they contain constructive criticism. If not, please keep your opinion to yourself.**


End file.
